FAQ
NB: If your question is not answered here, you may find the information elsewhere on this website. Otherwise, please contact us at apply@grac.nl
Q: What do I need to do to apply?
A: Make an appointment for the admission consultation (through this website), or, if you reside outside the Netherlands and are unable to attend a consultation at our academy, submit your portfolio by post. To make sure that you are properly informed, please read all the information about the admission procedure on the website carefully.
Q: I am not from the Netherlands. Is it still possible to apply?
A: Yes, in principle candidates from all over the world can study at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, provided that they have sufficient prior education, sufficient command of the Dutch and/or English language, and successfully completed our admission procedure. All information on the admission procedure can be found on this website.
Q: I am currently enrolled in VMBO (preparatory secondary vocational education) and would like to go straight to the Rietveld rather than enrolling in MBO (senior secondary vocational education) first. Is this possible?
A: No, in order to enrol in the HBO (higher professional education) program at the Rietveld Academie, you must have at least HAVO (senior general secondary education) or MBO qualifications (level 4).
Q: When can I enter directly into a later year? I have already studied at an art academy. Do I still have to take the entrance examination?
A: Yes. If you have spent at least one year studying at an art academy at bachelor/university level in one of the countries below, you can e-mail proof of this in JPEG or PDF format to apply@grac.nl to apply for an application form for the entrance examination. In that case you can skip the admission consultation and take the entrance examination in April. This applies to the following countries: The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Great Britain.
Q: I do not have a portfolio yet. Can I still be admitted?
A: If you have not created any visual work yet, there is really no point in applying for our admission procedure. We expect candidates to at least have developed visual skills/talents in various media. It is comparable to a candidate wishing to study piano at a conservatory. If you cannot play the piano at all, you will not be admitted there either.
Q: I am currently in my final year of secondary school. Can I apply already?
A: Yes, you can. Our regular admission consultations run from November to mid February. You can schedule an appointment for the admission consultation through this website. If you make it through the consultation, you may take the entrance examination in March. If you pass the entrance examination, you will be admitted to the new academic year before the summer holidays. NB: You can only start studying at the Rietveld Academie if you have actually obtained your secondary school diploma before the start of the new academic year.
Q: Do I need to choose a special subject package or subject cluster to prepare for the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: No. Our educational entry requirement is at least HAVO (senior general secondary education) or MBO (senior secondary vocational education) qualifications at level four. There are no specific requirements with regard to the subject cluster or subject package.
Q: Will my MBO (senior secondary vocational education) diploma allow me to enter into a later year or receive compensation for certain courses?
A: In principle, you can only skip the foundation year and enter directly into a later year if you have spent at least one year studying at another art academy/university. Entering into a later year does not mean that you can skip certain subjects in that year because you have already taken them. You have to take the full curriculum.
Q: What can I do to prepare for the admission procedure of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: It is important that you build a portfolio containing a wide variety of visual and/or design work. It is also important that you show your work in a variety of media, such as drawings, sketches, paintings, photographs, graphics work, 3-D work, design work, etc.. If you have not worked much with other media yet, and only take photographs for example, there is a good chance that you will NOT be admitted, because your portfolio is too one-sided. It is also important that do not only show work you have done for assignments (in secondary school for example). We would like to see that you have also developed or experimented with your own ideas. So make sure that you show as much of your own work as possible, in a variety of media. It is also good to keep up to date on what is happening in the area of contemporary visual art & design. Visit museums and exhibitions to find out what today’s artists and designers are doing. Find out what studying at the Rietveld Academy entails and whether that is actually what you’re looking for. Visit our open day on the last Friday in January and make sure you have read and looked at all the information on the website (including work by students of all the different departments). This will help you prepare thoroughly for the admission procedure.
Q: I live outside the Netherlands and wish to submit my portfolio. Can I do so on CD?
A: No. You have to submit originals – or photographs or prints – of your work. Only films can be submitted on DVD. We like to see motivated candidates who put a lot of effort into their portfolio. Because we receive so many portfolios, we want to be able to assess them as quickly as possible, and work submitted on CD often results in unnecessary delays and a poor impression of someone’s abilities.
Q: I live outside the Netherlands but would prefer to attend the admission consultation. Do I still have to send in my portfolio?
A: No. If you make an appointment for the admission consultation, you can bring your portfolio along to the consultation and do not need to send in your portfolio in advance in that case. Only candidates who are unable to attend the consultation should send in their portfolio.
Q: Do I need to apply through Studielink or through the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: Initially, candidates should register for the admission consultation through our website or by sending in a portfolio. You will be informed by our Student Office about the registration through Studielink at a later stage.
Q: Can I also enter halfway through the academic year?
A: No. All students are admitted before 1 September and commence their studies on 1 September. We start the admission consultations 10 months before the commencement of the new academic year, and complete all the regular admission rounds before the summer holidays. So you should register for our admission procedure well in advance.
Q: Can I apply for admission to multiple study programmes?
A: In the first academic year, all students take the same study programme making up the Foundation Year. Students do not choose which department they wish to continue their studies in until the end of the first year. Candidates wishing to apply to enter into a later year must choose one specific study programme/specialisation/department to which they wish to apply.
Q: When are the entrance examinations and how long do they take?
A: The entrance examinations for the foundation year are held in March and there is an extra round in April every year. Entrance examinations for higher course year candidates will be scheduled in April or May. The entrance examinations themselves take 20 to 40 minutes, but you should allow for 2-3 hours in total, including waiting and setting up and taking down your presentation.
Q: What is the success rate?
A: This varies per year. Of the total of 1000-1100 candidates who apply for our admission procedure each year, approximately 25% are admitted, depending on the number of places available in each department that year.
Q: What is the length of a university of applied sciences (HBO) programme at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: A full-time program lasts 4 years. All students take the same program during the Foundation Year, the first year of study, and at the end of that first year they choose the department in which they wish to continue their studies in the second year. They will then spend three years studying in that department before they graduate.
Q: Can I study part-time at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: Yes. In addition to its extensive full-time program, the Gerrit Rietveld Academie offers a smaller part-time program. The full-time program takes a total of 4 years. The part-time DOGtime program takes 5 years, because the propaedeutic phase lasts 2 years instead of 1 year. After that you can transfer to a regular full-time program and spend another 3 years studying before graduating, or you can spend 3 years studying Fine Arts or Multimedia Design part-time before graduation. More information on DOGtime can be found elsewhere on this website.
Q: What are the costs associated with the study programme?
A: That depends on the department in which you are studying. During the Foundation Year the costs are lower than the costs in later years. Allow for at least € 800 - € 1100 in additional costs per year for course materials and excursions, in addition to the annual tuition fees.
Q: Do you have a campus with rooms for students?
A: No, the Rietveld Academie does not have a campus, and it is therefore not possible to obtain a room through the academy. Students must find their own accommodation in Amsterdam or the vicinity.
Q: Can I apply for a student grant or loan for the study programme?
A: It is a university of applied sciences (HBO) program, so if you are eligible for student grants and loans you can apply for those. Students from EU countries can also apply for student grants and loans under certain conditions. For specific questions, see: www.ib-groep.nl . NB: You will not be eligible for student grants and loans for the Preparatory Course, the Orientation Year or the part-time programme (DOGtime).
Q: Can I obtain a scholarship from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: No. Unfortunately the Rietveld Academie does not provide scholarships. Candidates wishing to study here who require financial assistance will have to apply for a scholarship themselves (in their home country).
Q: Are the classes taught in Dutch or in English?
A: In principle, the classes in the bachelor’s program are taught in English, depending on the students and lecturers concerned. So foreign students do not necessarily have to be able to speak Dutch before starting the programme. Of course this would be useful for students planning to stay in the Netherlands for a longer period of time, but English will often suffice.
Q: What is the average age of students at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie?
A: The average age of students starting the Foundation Year is just under 23.
Q: How many foreign students are enrolled at the Academie?
A: Approximately 40-45% of our students come from outside the Netherlands.
Q: Is an IELTS certificate required?
A: Proof of English proficiency is one of our (renewed) requirements. A good command of the English language is crucial, as communication with teachers and fellow students is an important part of our program. To guarantee a sufficient command of the English language candidates whose first language is not English are now required to provide an IELTS certificate with minimum overall test scores of 6.0. In consultation, we do accept other proof of English proficiency (f.e. a European high school diploma with English as a subject).